Game of Thrones author George RR Martin has always made it clear that his epic series of novels is set in a land loosely based on Medieval Britain – but until now we hadn’t realised quite how influential the British Isles have been on both the books and the TV show.

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In a fascinating video history lesson (yes, really), YouTuber RealLifeLore explores some of the similarities and differences between Westeros and Ancient Britain – spoiler: there probably weren’t any dragons or giants in Britain – and one of the most striking revelations is just how closely the map of the Seven Kingdoms seems to be based on the British Isles.

Simply move Ireland below England and enlarge it, then do a mirror-image flip of the the main island, and you basically get Westeros…

(Wait for it, the flip does happen eventually)

Uncanny, right?

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Other intriguing similarities between Ancient Britain and Westeros include the fact that there really was a giant wall built across the country to keep out wild and savage northerners, England was at one point split into seven (count ’em) kingdoms, and there were indeed several claimants all competing for the same throne – which may or may not have been made out of iron…